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Academic Calendar

The purpose of this Calendar is to provide details for programs offered by the Faculty of Arts and Science of Queen’s University. It contains information concerning admission requirements, academic regulations, programs and courses of study, study abroad, and other matters of general interest to students who are registered in, or who are contemplating, a program in Arts or Science at Queen’s. It is strongly suggested that students read the University’s Code of Conduct on the internet at http://www.queensu.ca/secretariat/policies/, and familiarize themselves with the statement of Student Responsibility and the Faculty’s Regulations.

Students who are contemplating an Arts or Science program at Queen’s might wish to consult the 2014-2015 Viewbook, a booklet published by the University that deals with admission requirements for all Faculties and Schools, the University’s facilities and services (including residences), and entrance scholarships and financial assistance. Other information of interest to prospective students is available on departmental websites that can be accessed from the Faculty of Arts and Science website.

SOLUS, the Student Online University System, provides students with a portal to, amongst other services, review their current academic standing, determine fees owing, enroll in or drop classes, participate in Plan selection (first-year students only), and review their progress towards a degree. More information on SOLUS may be obtained from the Office of the University Registrar.

Definitions

admission

the Faculty’s acceptance of an applicant as a student.

auditor

student who attends a course with the consent of the instructor; formal registration required but student does not receive credit for course and is not entitled to submit assignments or write examinations.

class

a particular offering of a given course.

corequisite

a requirement that must be fulfilled concurrently with another course.

course

a proscribed set of study and evaluation, used for academic credit towards a degree program.

core

a course that is required, or is selected from an extremely limited list of courses, in a Plan.

elective

a course freely chosen by the student.

equivalency

a pair of courses, one of which is no longer offered, which are considered to be similar enough that one may serve interchangeably for the other in terms of prerequisites, corequisites, exclusions, and plan and program requirements. Credit will only be given for one of the pair.

exclusion

a list of two or more courses that are considered similar enough that credit will only be given for a defined subset of courses from that list. Usually, holding credit for an excluded course(s) will prevent enrolment in any of the remaining courses on the list.

GPA (grade point average)

the unit-weighted average grade point in a set of courses, based on a 4.3 grade point scale.

a course that will prevent enrolment if taken with or before another course.

option

a course chosen from a limited list of courses specified in a Plan. The degree of choice may vary according to the Plan.

part-time student

may enrol in at most 9.0 units in each of the Fall or Winter Terms.

Plan

an approved set of courses required to focus in an area of study. The depth of focus may vary according to Plan type (Major, Minor, Medial, Specialization, General). More than one Plan may be required to obtain a degree.

prerequisite

a requirement that must be met prior to enrolment in a course.

program

an approved set of courses leading to a degree.

session

an academic period within a Term. Start and end dates for each Session are published annually under Academic Dates and Key Dates.

subject

a defined area of study.

supporting course

a course in a Plan that complements the area of study; some Plans have required supporting courses (e.g., mathematics courses in a Physics Plan); others do not.

Term

an academic period during the calendar year.There are three Terms:Fall (September-December);Winter (January-April);Summer (May-August).Start and end dates for each Term are published annually under Academic Dates and Key Dates.

unit

the academic value of a course.

Independent Study

Exceptionally qualified students entering their third or fourth year may take a program of independent study provided it has been approved both by the Associate Dean (Studies) and by the Department or Departments principally involved.

A Department may approve an independent study program without permitting it to be counted toward a concentration in that Department. It is, consequently, the responsibility of students taking such programs to ensure that the concentration requirements for a degree will be met.

Requests for such a program must be received by the Office of the Associate Deans (Studies) one month before the start of the first term in which the student intends to undertake the program. Requests must include: i) a detailed outline of the project, including its aims, the topics to be studied, and a preliminary list of readings; ii) the names of the faculty members supervising the project, including the principal coordinator; iii) the number of units for which the project is to substitute, based on an estimate of the amount of work to be covered by the project, taking into account the planned learning hours; and iv) the method by which the student’s performance is to be evaluated, and the method by which the grade or grades will be assigned.

The Associate Deans (Studies) may, in consultation with the student and faculty members involved, propose modifications in the project, particularly with respect to the number of units to be assigned to it. The Associate Dean (Studies) may require an interview with the student.

Course numbers assigned to independent study are specified under Course Number in the How to Use the Arts and Science Calendar section of the Calendar. The departmental code assigned to the course will be that of the department which is closest to the material studied, provided it has agreed to take academic responsibility for the project.

Language Courses

Credit will be allowed for successful completion of courses in languages other than English and other than those offered at Queen’s provided that:

a) The course is in a modern language, defined as one that is currently used by an existing culture;

b) The course is offered by an accredited university, a school affiliated with such a university or by one of the language schools historically recognized by Queen’s;

c) Criteria for determining credit equivalency will be by parameters currently in use for all courses, that is, a grade determined by the host institution, number of contact hours, learning objectives/outcomes, type and number of assignments; and

d) The student has the course approved prior to departure by means of an International Letter of Permission, and supplies appropriate evidence of the above on return.

Credit for such language courses will transfer as LANG P10/3.0, for a first course in a modern language, LANG P11/3.0 for a continuation of LANG P10/3.0, LANG 120/3.0, for an advanced-level course in a modern language and LANG 121/3.0 for a continuation of LANG 120/3.0. LANG credits will not be assessed above the 100 level.

Admission Regulations

The Admission Regulations govern the admission of students into the Faculty of Arts and Science, whether directly from high school, from another postsecondary institution, or from another Faculty or School within Queen’s University.

The following Admission Regulations describe the requirements for admission to the Faculty of Arts and Science. The admission requirements stated in this chapter are minimum requirements, and the standing required for admission may be higher. Preference will be given to applicants with the strongest qualifications. Admission Regulations 1 – 11 present the admission requirements for the various categories of admission. Admission Regulation 12 describes the procedures applicants must follow for admission to on-campus studies, and Admission Regulation 13 describes the procedures applicants must follow for admission to distance studies.

Entering students are ordinarily allowed no credits for previous experience or education up to the level of completion of the Ontario Secondary School Diploma or equivalent. They may, with the consent of the departments concerned, be permitted to take advanced courses or alternative courses if their previous experience and education so warrant.

All applicants should note that the Queen's University Senate Policy on Student Appeals, Rights and Discipline states that applicants seeking admission to the University or a Program at Queen's may not appeal a decision regarding an individual application, whether or not the applicant is, or has been, a student in another Program at Queen's. By extension, applicants may not appeal any regulation stated in the Admission chapter of the Faculty of Arts and Science Calendar.

These regulations state the requirements to be met and the procedures to be followed for the awarding of degrees in the Faculty of Arts and Science. All requests for exceptions to the regulations should be made to the appropriate reviewing body (see Appeal of Academic Decisions). Inquiries concerning Faculty regulations should be made to the Faculty of Arts and Science Faculty Office.

Faculty Regulations are constantly being reviewed and may change at any time.

In all regulations that refer to decisions made by the instructor, the instructor may choose to delegate responsibility for those decisions as appropriate.

The following is a summary of the Academic Regulations and University Policies:

Appeal Regulations

The Appeal Regulations govern the process by which students may appeal decisions regarding academic integrity and other academic matters. These might include: the grade received in an assignment, exam or course; to add or drop a course after the academic deadline; to waive a requirement to withdraw; or to request aegrotat or credit standing in a course. Student’s attention is also drawn to the Senate Policy on Students’ Appeals, Rights and Discipline (SARD), available from the Senate website at: http://www.queensu.ca/secretariat/senate.html

Courses of Instruction in Other Faculties and Schools

Dual and Second Degree Regulations

These regulations outline the special regulations for a student who is attempting more than one undergraduate degree within the Faculty of Arts and Science, either concurrently with a degree from another Faculty or School (Dual Degree) or consecutively when the first degree was obtained either from Queen’s University or elsewhere (Second Degree). This section also contains information on the degree upgrade process, wherein a student holding a General (3-year) undergraduate degree from the Faculty of Arts and Science at Queen’s may upgrade it to an Honours (4-year) degree.